Chapter 266: Mr. Su, What a Coincidence!

Su Mu smiled faintly, ignoring Su Qing's embarrassment. He pocketed the Mithril Token and addressed the crowd mildly. "I will see you all at the finish line."

With that, he leaned on his Snakewood Cane. Like an elegant gentleman, he walked step by step toward the passageway, his tall, slender figure slowly fading into the darkness under everyone's watchful eyes.

Watching him leave, the crowd felt as though they were in a dream. Only moments ago, they had been locked in a brutal life-and-death struggle. Yet Su Mu's arrival had upended the situation time and time again, ultimately ending the conflict with only a single casualty.

He had been present for less than ten minutes, yet he left an indelible impression on everyone there.

The crowd remained silent for a long time before slowly dispersing to search for another Mithril Token.

None of them could even entertain the thought of robbing a mysterious powerhouse like Su Mu.

Su Qing also took her leave, muttering curses under her breath.

"What a self-righteous man! So annoying! I never even agreed to join, yet he makes the decision for me!"

In the darkness, Su Mu walked in silence. He planned to put some distance between himself and Su Qing, find an empty corner to enter his Sleepwalking State, and then head straight for the exit to clear the trial.

He had achieved all his goals, so there was no reason to waste any more time in the Dungeon.

He wasn't sure if King Chi's avatar possessed any tracking methods, so caution dictated that he put as much distance between them as possible.

After passing through several branching paths, Su Mu came to a halt. The area around him was completely empty, yet he felt a faint, lingering gaze fixed upon him.

A slight smirk touched his lips. He immediately changed direction, weaving through one tunnel after another. The complex, labyrinthine terrain of the Dungeon was enough to shake off most pursuers. Despite this, that subtle sensation of being watched never faded—in fact, it was drawing closer.

Suddenly, a rustling sound echoed from behind him, shattering the dead silence.

Su Mu turned his head as a pleasantly surprised voice called out from the shadows.

"Mr. Su! Thank goodness! I didn't expect to run into you here. What a coincidence."

Lan He slowly emerged from the darkness. He looked rather battered, his clothes stained with blood as if he had just survived a bitter battle. The only thing that hadn't changed was his shy smile. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, giving him an innocent, honest look.

"Yes, what a coincidence," Su Mu replied with a warm smile, as though greeting an old friend.

"Are you by yourself? Where are the others?"

"When the specters attacked earlier, everyone scattered. I got separated from the rest in the chaos," Lan He explained, fear still lingering in his voice. "Thank God I ran into you here, Mr. Su. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to make it out of the Dungeon on my own."

"Oh, right. Mr. Su, did you find a Mithril Token?"

"I did."

Lan He beamed. "That's wonderful, Mr. Su! Congratulations! Now you just need to find the exit, and you'll clear the trial without any problems."

He paused, his expression dimming. "Unlike me. I've spent this entire time running for my life. I haven't even seen what a Mithril Token looks like."

"Do you want it? I can give it to you." Su Mu flipped his hand over, revealing a small, exquisitely crafted Mithril Token engraved with mysterious runes.

Lan He stared at the token. A flash of imperceptible greed crossed his eyes, though he quickly buried it behind his usual bashful grin. "You must be joking, Mr. Su. Besides, you went through a lot of trouble to get that Mithril Token. How could I possibly—"

Before he could finish, he froze. Su Mu had tossed the Mithril Token straight at him. He caught it on instinct, staring at the metal in disbelief.

"M-Mr. Su... what are you doing..."

A mysterious smile touched Su Mu's lips. "You went to great lengths to track me down," he said mildly. "Wasn't it for this?"

Lan He's expression shifted. "What are you talking about, Mr. Su? I... tracked you?"

"Oh? Are you still going to play dumb? In that case, give the Mithril Token back."

At those words, the smile slowly vanished from Lan He's face. His eyes narrowed, and his entire demeanor instantly turned dark and menacing, as if he had become a completely different person.

"Good eye, Mr. Su. And very tactful," Lan He sneered. "Since you've already handed over the Mithril Token, you've saved me a lot of trouble. Now, as long as you lead me out of the Dungeon, I'll spare your life. I might even invite you to join my team."

"You are much easier to look at now. It's an improvement over that fake smile, at least," Su Mu commented calmly.

"Cut the crap and lead the way."

"I'm curious. What makes you think I know where the exit is?"

Lan He gave a dark chuckle. "I'm a good judge of character, and I'm never wrong. Out of all the nightmare apostles who entered, you were by far the calmest. You never hesitated for a second whenever we reached a fork in the road. If you tell me you don't know the way out, I simply don't believe you."

Su Mu blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected this to be the reason Lan He had been shamelessly tailing him from the very beginning. But thinking about it, it made sense.

The others had been cautious ever since they entered the Dungeon, second-guessing themselves at every crossroad for fear of making a mistake. In contrast, his own behavior had naturally stood out.

The only problem was that he genuinely had no idea where the exit was. The reason he chose his paths with such confidence was because he was using a cheat. He couldn't care less whether he picked the right tunnel or not; once he activated his Sleepwalking State, he could stumble sideways and still make it out of the Dungeon. He certainly hadn't expected Lan He to misinterpret that.

"Mr. Lan, while it's true that I lie quite often, I'm going to be honest with you today. I really have no idea where the exit is," Su Mu said, uttering a rare truth.

Lan He, of course, didn't believe a word of it.

"It seems you still haven't grasped the situation, Mr. Su." Lan He sighed dramatically. "I actually hate resorting to violence. But the world is full of arrogant fools who don't know their place, so I suppose I'll just have to help you see reality."

"It's obvious you are very confident in your own strength. That is why, even knowing I was tracking you, you boldly handed over the Mithril Token. Because in your eyes, I don't pose a threat."

"However..."

Lan He suddenly let out a dark, eerie laugh. His eyes abruptly turned as black as ink, completely swallowing the whites, and a sickly, twisted expression crept over his face. "Mr. Su, you didn't honestly believe that when we shook hands on the bus, it was just a simple handshake, did you?"

"A Cursed Seed has already invaded your soul. So much time has passed that it has well and truly taken root. With a single thought from me—bang! Endless negative emotions will detonate and tear your soul apart."

"That's why you were so eager to hand everyone a flashlight earlier, isn't it?"

"Exactly. Those idiots went to their graves without noticing a thing. They weren't nearly as perceptive as you, Mr. Su."

"Oh?" Su Mu's eyes flickered. "They didn't have Mithril Tokens. Why kill them?"

"To harvest their dying resentment, of course. The resentment of a dying person is simply delicious... hiss." Lan He licked his lips in a sickeningly morbid display, as if savoring the taste.